I can see the fire in my father's eyes, something I haven't seen for a long time, not since his accident.
Before the accident, my father reached B- rank.
The ranks are as follows: F-, F, F+, E-, E, E+, and so on.
With the help of his secondary class as Hunter, he was able to obtain enough resources to push his rank to B-. It was just a few days later when he had the accident during one of his hunts.
He didn't tell us exactly what happened, but I know that he lost his attributes. He may still hold the B- rank, but his attributes appear to be those of a regular E rank professional.
That was so bad.
The only way he could regain those attributes was through external resources, such as Attribute Potions or treasures that grant attributes to the consumer, but these were costly. We couldn't afford even a single vial, especially after spending a lot to heal him.
It was then that he lost that fire.
Even when Lara awakened the Fire Mage class, that didn't do anything for him. He was happy that his daughter could become strong and could help the family, but it hurt his fatherly pride.
To any father, it was he who was supposed to take care of the family's needs. He was supposed to take care of the children, not the other way around. He was happy, but his pride was taken aback; he now has a way to redeem himself.
Yes, he would be using my talent to recover himself and become the Head of the Family again, but he can repay me as my talent would make him strong again, which my sister can't do.
Sure, she could grow strong and help him buy the potions, but that would take a long time. Meanwhile, I offer a cheaper option and an immediate solution.
The cooking ingredients would be cheap when compared to alchemical ingredients.
Additionally, there are the labour costs and the profits that the alchemist would charge the consumer.
Profits are required in any business; if not, no one would be interested in researching new products. Everything would be stagnated.
Many may think that people shouldn't be greedy and should give things at the lowest possible price or even free, but they are idiots, ones who don't understand economics at all.
I may not be an expert in economics, but I know that cheaper or free goods and services would mean stagnation and the fall of the nation, one day or another.
If a nation provides free goods and services, then the people may lose interest in working, especially the hardworking individuals, as they perceive it as a betrayal. They work hard and pay taxes, while others eat their tax money.
SO, they too would do the same or leave the nation.
The nation would end up in a massive pit of debt and would fall or become a puppet of another powerful nation.
Sure, having too much greed is not good, but one has to be able to earn profits to let them be interested in working and creating new products, which will push the nation forward.
This was why, though Alchemists charge a lot for their potions, no one would say no. They would pay whatever the price was or walk away if they couldn't afford it.
Only the rich could afford such prices. If families like mine attempt it, they would be forever in debt, perhaps for generations. So, unless it was a life-or-death situation, families like mine won't buy such costly potions.
My father could have brought those potions and healed himself completely. He could have had a happy and satisfied life. There was no way he could have known that my sister would have awakened Fire Mage Class and me, an SSS-rank talent like this.
He could have had a good life, while he could have pushed the debt on to his descendants, that would be me and my sister, and maybe our children, but he didn't.
It was not my speculation. It was something that I overheard one night.
---
A Few Years Ago...
"Gerard, you heard the healer. He can't do anything more for you. The only way you can become B- rank Hunter once again was to take the Alchemical potions that can give attributes", Mary spoke.
"I know that, Mary. I want to be back as a Hunter, where I could provide you with the best, but that would come at a cost, something we may not be able to pay back in this lifetime", Gerard lamented.
"What d you mean? I know that the potions would be expensive, but we can sell the house to afford them. I know that taking a loan is not easy, especially when they know that your classes are Farmer and Hunter, one less earning, while the other is a dangerous job, but putting the house as collateral or directly selling it would give us enough money to at least bring you back to C rank if not to your actual rank", Mary said.
"No, Mary", Gerard shook his head, "I don't want to disturb the family because of me. We lost all the savings to heal me, and I don't want to put the last thing we have at risk. If something unexpected happens, we may lose the house, and I don't want that to happen. I want to leave this house for the children, if that was the last thing I can provide".
Mary understood why Gerard was saying that. So, she kept quiet about the matter.
---
That night I heard their conversation. They have no idea that I overheard them, but I did. From that day, all I wanted was to get a good class, one that would be good enough to relieve our family's troubles, which our sister eventually did.
Although we didn't see changes, as she had only recently awakened. She was older than me but that was less than two years. So, whatever she earned, that went back to her.
We have enough to get by for years, unless something bad happens. The farmlands produced enough to tie, without much profit, due to the pests, but we all get three meals a day.
So, family depending on Lara was postponed for later, but with my talent appearing, we can improve than originally planned, but there was a lot to understand about my talent and my skills, before we could achieve that.